NORTHAMPTON — The city has protected another 81.6 acres of farmland in the Northampton Meadows after closing on the agricultural restriction rights on the property Thursday.

Under this agriculture preservation restriction, the land will be preserved forever for agriculture, according to a press release from Planning Director Wayne M. Feiden. Farmer Charles Jasinski will still own land and continue to farm it.

“This is especially important since we see one of the risks to farmland is simply allowing it to go fallow and have trees take over,” Feiden said in the release.

Jasinski bought a three-acre parcel owned by the city that had been once owned by the Rogers family for $13,500 in 2009 and agreed to sell the Agricultural Preservation Restriction on that property and the other 78 acres to Northampton for $73,500. Community Preservation Act money was used to buy the agricultural rights.

Feiden in the release said that Jasinski restored those three acres for farming this summer “a huge task on land that has been fallow for two decades. “

Jasinski has already donated two separate additions to Sheldon Recreation Field, one earlier this year and one a few years ago.

The purchase had support from the mayor, City Council and the agricultural and conservation commissions.